Automated filling machines configured for filling any manner of container processed through the machine by a conveyor or the like are old and well known in the art. For example, a conventional high-speed filling machine typically uses a worm gear or screw-like device to orient and deliver containers (i.e., bottles) conveyed in single file and in contact with each other. The worm gear engages each container and spaces the containers apart a desired distance corresponding to the spacing of downstream filling valves. The containers are typically conveyed from the worm gear to a rotating star wheel that receives the containers in individual pockets or recesses. The star wheel may further convey the bottles to one or more additional star wheels, to a rotating table or platform of the filling machine, or may directly convey the bottles under the heads of the rotary filling machine. Examples of such filling machines are described, for example, in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,666,564; 3,519,108; 4,053,003; 4,588,001; 6,253,809 B1; and 6,474,368 B2.
With the device according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,919, the containers are spaced apart on a conveyor by a pair of parallel screws and conveyed on the same conveyer directly to the filling valves of the rotary filler without the use of a star wheel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,695 describes a star wheel having a plurality of circumferentially spaced orienting devices around its periphery. Each of the orienting devices includes moveable fingers which can readily assume the contour of different containers. However, the containers must still be indexed prior to being conveyed to the star wheel.
Conventional rotary filling machines of the type described above used in modern high-speed processing lines require relatively sophisticated drives, gearing, and control systems for ensuring precise coordinated movement between the different in-feed and out-feed star wheels, worm gears, and so forth. Also, the star wheel assemblies take up valuable floor space in use, as a typical star wheel may be, for example, 4 feet in diameter. Further, if different sized bottles are to be run through a given filler, extra star wheels are likely needed for each bottle size, and each bottle may require two or three different star wheels to stabilize different portions of a given bottle. The extra (unused) star wheels and/or sets of star wheels thus require a great amount of storage space. The star wheels also require maintenance and upkeep, and generally add to the overall cost of the filling operation.
Conventional rotary filling operations also generally process the containers in a single file or row through the filling machine, primarily due to the indexing functions of the worm gears and/or star wheels. To accomplish multiple parallel row filling operations with conventional star wheel indexing technology would require complicated and expensive gearing and drive arrangements and is not considered commercially viable. Multiple row filling is thus often provided by linear-type filling machines as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,796. In this linear design, the containers are typically conveyed serially as a group into the filling machine and captured or indexed into position under filling nozzles or orifices. The containers are typically held fixed and motionless while they are filled. Once the containers are filled, the indexing mechanism releases the containers and the filled containers are conveyed out on the same conveyor and another grouping of containers in indexed into position for filling. The linear-type machines, however, also have drawbacks, particularly with respect to processing speed. The basic architecture of the rotary system design is clearly superior with respect to potential through-put of containers as compared to the linear systems. Also, the rotary systems make far more efficient use of floor space.
U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/650,490 and 10/274,696, filed Aug. 28, 2003 and Oct. 21, 2002, respectively, and both assigned to the owner of the present application, disclose other rotary filling machines. Both of these applications disclose devices for filling multiple rows of containers that travel in a circular path around a filling machine. The disclosed designs are well-suited for their intended applications. In the designs of both applications, containers and/or filling heads are maneuvered in various ways when the containers near the filling heads so as to organize the containers into properly-spaced groups that correspond to the placement and spacing of filling heads. Doing so requires a certain amount of machinery and space. Also, in such systems the containers are at some points of travel not held fast to one part of the system machinery or another, potentially leading to toppling over or breaking of containers, as has been experienced with various other filling machines and systems over the years. Therefore, a need exists for a further improved simple and reliable system for moving containers securely through a filling machine and its related system parts, such as rinsers, labelers, etc.
Various types of conveyors have been utilized for conveying objects in industrial production lines. Objects may be conveyed from work station to work station individually or in groupings, depending on the object and the task to be performed. It may or may not be important to maintain any spacing or control of the objects during some or all of the travel. For example, apples being conveyed may simply be stacked randomly on a conveyor, while bottles being filled may be held rigidly in place by a filling machine that has received the bottles from a conveyor.
Certain conveyor belts (sometimes also called chains) are made of a plurality of interconnected links, driven by motors that engage the conveyor belt. Such conveying systems are commonly employed in the transportation of manufactured goods and articles, and for containers. With these typical systems, the motor drives a toothed drive sprocket that engages complimenting driving recesses or “dogs” formed on the conveyor belt. These drive units can be disposed in any number along the length of the conveyor belt. Such a drive unit and conveyor system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,848 which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
Link type conveyor belts are sometimes designed having a knuckle/socket joint arrangement wherein one part of the link has a rounded knuckle and the opposite part has a socket formed by two extending edges. The knuckle of one link fits into the socket of a neighboring link. The knuckle is able to move in various directions within the socket, which allows for the conveyor system as a whole to curve and move.
The interconnected links typically have a platform member connected to or formed integral with the link's upper (conveying) surface. The platform member is generally shaped to match the neighboring platform members on other links such that the links can turn in a plane or twist while moving around curved sections of the conveying system, yet are also shaped such that the cracks and spaces formed between the links are minimized. The platform members can be connected to the links in several different ways. For instance, the platforms may have pegs extending therefrom which match corresponding slots on the links. Alternatively or additionally, the platforms can have snap springs which lock into place on corresponding sections of the links. Such a knuckle link with a platform surface member is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,716 which is owned by the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
While the conveyors disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,716 work well for their intended applications, they are by their design inherently limited in terms of the amount of bending and twisting that they can do over a given distance. The interconnected knuckle links do beneficially afford a certain amount of three-dimensional curvature, but they also limit in some ways the layout of object conveying machinery according to the maximum amount of curvature possible between the knuckle links. Further, stability of conveyed objects can be compromised in some applications if the objects are conveyed by their bases.
Finally, changing the dispensed liquid used in a given filler or changeout of filler heads and/or elements can be a complex task. In conventional fillers, the tanks, tubing, filler heads, seals, etc. must be cleaned in place. This can be time consuming, may require a large volume of the dispensed liquid to be wasted, and may require a substantial amount of water and/or cleaning fluid to be pumped through the system. Such change-out can be even more complicated for carbonated beverages. When switching from one dispensed liquid to another, different types of filler head and related structures may be required. In a rotary filler, this could mean changing out dozens of individual filler elements, each having multiple connections and seals, in place on the filler. Also, in a situation where a single filler element in a machine needs to be replaced, it can be a complex task to remove and replace the element in place. Thus, simpler filler structures and processes for allowing rapid change-out and/or cleaning would be welcome.